SHTA proposes the resurrection of the STB

To say that government and the private sector need to work hand in glove to protect the tourism industry we currently have, as well as develop the sector further, may appear obvious. But it's also true, and recently much has been discussed about the manner in which this important relationship might become less 'Us and Them' and more just… 'Us'.

Firstly, let's remind ourselves of the singular importance that tourism has in Seychelles. It drives the national economy, and without tourism Seychellois would not enjoy a standard of living which places them at the top of the per-capita earnings tree in Africa. As a previous SHTA national sensitisation campaign put it: 'Tourism puts food on every table in Seychelles.'

Secondly, let's remember that it is the private sector that creates this wealth — the hotels and guesthouses, the airlines, the nautical businesses and the DMCs — not the government. The inflow of wealth from the private sector enables the authorities, principally through tax revenues, to fund the projects and infrastructure they deem necessary for the country. The private sector is the wealth engine and the government an institution of public service — a fact which further fuels the argument for close collaboration and national progress.

Thirdly, it is government which holds the power to enhance the efficacy of the tourism sector. This is especially concerning if policies, regulations and legislation are introduced which lead to Seychelles becoming less competitive in an increasingly difficult global market.

What is clear is that we — the private sector and the government — are stronger if we work together in a meaningful, rather than tokenistic, manner. Recently the SHTA received a 'green light' from Minister Radegonde to push forward proposals for a more formal collaborative structure, and has sent government an outline of how such a body could work.

It is worth remembering how and why the STB was established in 2005: a merger of the Seychelles Tourism Marketing Authority's functions with the Department of Tourism under a private-sector-dominated board — six of eleven board members drawn from the private sector. The aim was to merge product development and marketing, and to encourage meaningful policy steerage from the private sector.

So we find ourselves proposing, as 2025 arrives, the restoration of a collaborative structure introduced twenty years ago. At this point we are calling the proposed assembly the Seychelles Tourism Standing Committee (STSC), subject to further discussion.